Posts Tagged ‘cheese’

A basic, simple lasagna satisfies hunger any day of the week but particularly in inclement weather. It’s very simple if you keep some homemade marinara sauce or bolognese sauce in the freezer. Then all you need is a good mixture of cheeses with some herbs bound with and egg or two and some noodles (fresh, dried or no-bake–your choice). The result is the ultimate comfort meal. You can add some fresh roasted garlic to a toasted baguette and a salad on the side if you are a big eater. Any which way, this is a satisfying, economical and pleasing meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I’m just going by my own experience. (Wink)

This photo shows the richness of the cheeses:And this shot shows the meaty bolognese sauce:

I am still experimenting with Pizza. Such a versatile medium, right? So I wanted to create a pizza with some interesting flavors. I thought about making an Eggplant Parmesan instead but I really didn’t want something that heavy. Then my thoughts moved to the realm of pizza; lighter and less work. The end result was this Cheesy pizza crust covered in marinara sauce, topped with grilled eggplant and zucchini, sprinkled with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, finished with pepperoni slices and some ribbons of Parmesan. Red pepper chili flakes on the side. Delicious.

Fig Pizza: Store-bought Boboli* crust (since this was an experiment) with a cover of shaved Parmesan melted on the grill before proceeding, topped with freshly sliced figs, chopped prosciutto, crumbled goat cheese and grilled again before proceeding, then sprinkled with Balsamic vinegar and topped with fresh peppery arugula. Excellent. Fresh food can hardly be simpler than this.

*Note: I usually make a homemade crust but when experimenting for the first time, I do cut corners with store-bought. I admit this was good even with the thin crust Boboli though, however, homemade would be preferable.

Halibut is usually so expensive that I substitute cod in recipes that call for halibut since their textures are so similar. Recently I got a deal on halibut so I snatched it up. I love the way halibut tastes so I don’t embellish it much. For this halibut I used a simple butter/lemon sauce flavored with slices of garlic. After the halibut was grilled, I added a couple of spoonfuls of sauce with a garnish of parsley.

However, halibut alone is not a dinner so I paired this beautiful fish with a stuffed tomato recipe I found on Cooking Light. It was a gorgeous large tomato stuffed with a tomato flavored quinoa containing flavorful pieces of roasted poblano peppers, roasted corn, roasted onion, a touch of cumin, lime juice, salt and pepper. After I stuffed the tomatoes with the quinoa mixture, I topped them off with some Colby-jack cheese. As much as I love halibut, I must say that the tomato was the better part of the meal. I hasten to add that they could have been the whole meal. Vegetarians, take note.

One homemade whole wheat crust, pre-cooked and brushed with a couple of tablespoons of hot chile oil. Layer coarsely grated mozzarella, provolone and asiago cheeses evenly over the crust. Before you clean the grater, finely grate some Parmesan for dusting the top as a finishing touch.

Next thinly slice one medium zucchini, break up 3 medium broccoli florets and thinly slice one half of a red onion. Mix the vegetables in a bowl and spread them evenly over the cheese layer. Slice 4 green onions into little rounds and set aside to reserve for garnish. Mince a couple of cloves of garlic and sprinkle them over the top. Dust the top with Parmesan.

Put the pizza pie back on the grill* until the vegetables brown and the cheeses melt. Slice into serving sized pieces.

Garnish with the green onions and serve with your favorite beer or wine.

*This works well under a broiler also. So if you don’t have a grill or the weather is inclement this is the way to go .

Last night we served a Grilled Cheese Sandwich Buffet with 3 different grilled sandwich delights.

First was the Jalapeño Cheese grilled cheese with softened cream cheese, roasted jalapeño and mixture of spicy Jack and Sharp Cheddar. The second sandwich was a combination of tart Granny Smith apple, thick sliced Applewood Bacon and Sharp Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Next up was a Green Goddess Cheese Sandwich with an herbed cheese spread comprised of cilantro, Italian parsley, Basil, Tarragon, shallot, lime and some other goodnesses grilled sandwich.

We used two artisan breads for the sandwiches smeared with a condiments including Dijon mustard, Major Greys Mango Chutney and on the side we offered miniature dill pickles and home-baked crinkle cut potato chips.

For a first course we offered a choice of two soups: tomato basil or chicken with matzo balls. Not one drop of leftover soup at all!

It was a great evening, good food and the finale was a sweet dessert of homemade fro-yo (frozen yogurt) with fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries from our farmers market. And as an added option we offered a selection of Girl Scout Cookies because it’s a personal thing. I love the cookies and the program.

Recently, a client brought me a recipe from Cooking Light magazine that looked good as far as flavors go. After following Cooking Light’s recipe exactly, I changed some ingredients to be more to my client’s liking and ended up with a delicious, flavorful and pleasing casserole that was even a wee bit healthier than the Cooking Light version. Mine also had stronger flavor to make it tastier.

My version began with Cooking Light’s Tortilla Chip Casserole’s basic recipe. I avoided all the packaged ingredients and spent a little time in the kitchen making my own ingredients from scratch. After our experience with the original recipe, I adjusted the ingredient amounts and flavors to please their tastes.

The result was a good casserole with low caloric value, lower fat, low sodium and high flavor. Totally a successful dish that we augmented with a simple spinach salad with some tomatoes, low fat balsamic vinaigrette and chopped vegetables. For those who aren’t concerned about calories, you could even add ½ cup of corn kernels to this recipe.

Note: If you are taking the “from scratch” route, I recommend that you make your chicken stock, baked chips, roasted pepper and enchilada sauce first or even a day ahead to make this recipe easier.

Make your chicken stock, baked chips, roasted pepper, enchilada sauce and salsa and set them aside. If you are cooking these the day before, cover in air tight, separate containers and refrigerate them all except the baked chips.

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Heat the 3 teaspoons vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion; cook 4-6 minutes depending upon your stove-top. Add the garlic and flour. Cook two minutes.

Gradually add the milk and chicken stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Remove from the heat and stir in the spices: cumin, oregano, coriander, salt and pepper. Next, add the jalapeño and stir. Lastly, add the cream cheese stirring until it melts.

PREPARATION:

In an 11×7 pan, spread ½ cup milk mixture over the bottom of the pan.

Spread the black beans as the next layer. Add 2 cups chicken. Add half of the crushed chips.

Top the chips with ½ cup milk mixture. For the next layer, add 2 cups chicken, the roasted bell pepper and the rest of the chips. Cover it all with the remaining milk mixture and the green chile sauce. Sprinkle the top with the cheese mixture.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until the cheese melts. Top with chopped onions, chopped cilantro, and a dollop of salsa.